Workers at Cowley face a race against time to produce the new Mini, writes David Duffy.

BMW wants to unveil the car to the world's press five months from now and have the car in the showrooms by mid summer 2001.

A massive investment put at 350m by industry analysts will now be pumped into the Cowley plant, now known as BMW Oxford.

The 3,500-strong workforce has been told it faces a "massive challenge" to launch the new car in an "unprecedented timescale".

The new Mini was to have been built at Longbridge, but following the sale of Rover Cars to the Phoenix consortium for a token 10 yesterday, BMW has signed a deal which sees the Mini as the future for its state-of-the-art car plant at Cowley.

The downside of the deal is that Cowley will lose production of the luxury Rover 75 saloon to the Longbridge plant, which will continue to build Rover 25, 45 and MGF models. Oxford East MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Smith said: "It is a step forward as, after all the uncertainty, BMW has guaranteed the Mini is coming to Cowley.

"BMW has assured me that in any gap between the Rover 75 going and the new Mini starting, they will keep the Cowley workforce in employment.

I shall be keeping closely in touch with BMW and the workforce. I want to see the most use is made of the wonderful facilities and workforce we have at Cowley."

But Liberal Democrat MP for Abingdon and Oxford West Dr Evan Harris said today's news meant there were now real concerns about the long-term future of the Cowley plant.

BMW have today confirmed to me that there will be a gap between the loss of the 75 and the arrival of the new Mini at Cowley, and despite flexibility arrangements we need urgent reassurances about jobs. I would like a written declaration of no redundancies at Cowley to maintain confidence.''

BMW said the workers had proved with the Rover 75 that they were capable of producing a high-quality car and would need to prove that again with the Mini.